A group of state Republicans is using recent Jersey City police retirements to argue in favor of statewide reform of sick-leave payouts.

The four state legislators, who represent districts in northern and central New Jersey, sent a letter to the chair of the Assembly State Government Committee last week asking that she post a bill the four sponsored that would eliminate future sick-leave payouts for public employees.

In the May 29 letter to Assemblywoman Linda Stender, the four Republicans cite recent news that 25 retiring Jersey City police employees could cost Jersey City around $5 million in payments for unused sick, vacation and comp days.

Mayor-elect Steve Fulop, who becomes mayor on July 1, has criticized the employees, including now-retired Police Chief Tom Comey, for bowing out of city government before Fulop’s administration begins and collecting large payouts for accumulated time.

“No public official should have to enter office having to figure out how to save taxpayers from a $5 million bombshell just because Trenton politicians won’t do the right thing,” said Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Red Bank) in a statement. “We can diffuse this bomb in the future with a uniform statewide policy that says: sick leave is for when you’re sick.”

The other legislators who signed the letter are Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande (Freehold), Nancy Munoz (Summit) and Donna Simon (Flemington).

Their bill, A-2495,
was introduced in February 2012 but has not received a full floor vote.
It would end sick-time payouts from the date of the bill's passage, in
addition to requiring public employees to show medical documentation for
absences of six or more consecutive days.

Republican Gov. Chris Christie has railed against the practice of public employees accumulating unused days and trading them in for cash upon retirement, but Christie’s efforts to end the practice have met with resistance from state Democrats who would rather curtail it.

Supporters of sick-time payouts argue that they were agreed upon in collective-bargaining agreements and should be honored.